Chapter 131

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"Stay here for now, Mikoto-san, this was my former home. It's a bit small, but once I become the clan head, I'll improve it. Then we'll..."

"Enough, Yoichi-kun, this place is already very good. I... am very satisfied."

Mikoto looked around the small single-family home. Though every corner was compact, it was Yoichi-kun's place, and just the thought of it filled her with contentment.

"Yoichi-kun, there's no need to call me '-san.' anymore, I'm divorced."

Mikoto spoke with a playful tone, just having entered the house, she felt Yoichi's hand wander from her waist downwards.

"Alright, Mikoto, when we are alone, I will call you that from now on."

Yoichi felt a surge of desire.

However, Fugaku stood outside with a grim face, his fist clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, drawing blood. In his other hand, he held the belongings that Mikoto had packed but hadn't taken with her.

He had seen Mikoto leaving but didn't expect her to leave her things behind. Thinking she might have forgotten them, he decided to bring them to her.

But what he witnessed upon arriving left him distraught.

'You betrayed me first, Mikoto. You do not deserve to be Itachi's mother.'

Fugaku turned and left without a word, returning home to remain silent.

Itachi slowly approached his father, intending to ask about some ninja techniques, but sensing the timing was off, he quietly sat beside his father instead.

"Itachi, do you love your mother?"

"...Yes, I love both mom and dad. I want to become a strong ninja just like dad."

"Strong, huh? I might not be strong, Itachi, but you definitely will be. I believe in you," Fugaku said, turning to look earnestly at his son. At that moment, it seemed as though Itachi was the only one who hadn't betrayed him.

Naturally intelligent, Itachi hadn't started formal training yet, but whether it was learning to read or the basics of ninjutsu, he picked things up quickly, rarely needing anything explained a third time.

If it weren't for the family issues, Fugaku was confident he could raise Itachi to be a genius even surpassing Yoichi and Shisui. But he feared he might not have much time left.

"Itachi, come with me to meet someone. He's a well-known genius in the Uchiha clan and once mentored me."

Thinking of the plans ahead, Fugaku took Itachi to Hachidai's home.

At Hachidai's, a guest was already present, another genius of the Uchiha but not as prominent as Yoichi.

"Shisui, you can now try to integrate illusion techniques with body flicker jutsu. Both are your specialties, and I have nothing left to teach you about illusion techniques. The rest is up to you to explore," Hachidai was saying when the doorbell rang.

He stood to answer it, but upon opening the door, he found Fugaku and Itachi.

"Clan head, what brings you here? And with Itachi-kun?"

"Let's talk inside, Hachidai."

After seeing Fugaku's serious demeanor, Hachidai nodded and ushered them in. "However, Clan head, Shisui is visiting me today, he's right inside."

"Let Shisui look after Itachi for a bit. I need to speak with you alone."

Once Fugaku and Hachidai were in the living room and saw Shisui, Fugaku said, "Shisui, I need a favor. I have something urgent with Hachidai. Could you please look after Itachi?"

"No problem, leave it to me, Clan Head."

Shisui stood up and approached Itachi, who, despite his young age, tried to appear calm. Shisui smiled and greeted, "Hello, I'm Shisui. Let's walk around the yard."

After receiving a nod from Fugaku, Itachi reached out to Shisui, "Hello, I'm Itachi."

As the two departed, Hachidai closed the door and asked, "Clan head, what happened?"

"I divorced Mikoto."

Fugaku had intended to keep the divorce a secret for a while longer, but since making the decision, he knew it couldn't be hidden.

Especially with a clan meeting approaching, where all Uchiha ninjas, except those on the battlefield or on missions, would gather and learn the truth.

"My only concern now is Itachi. He's very talented, more so than me. He will definitely be a great ninja... But I might not have time to see that. So, I'm entrusting Itachi to you, Hachidai-senpai."

This sudden revelation left Hachidai speechless, struggling to understand the sudden divorce and the request to take care of Itachi.

"Fugaku, what's going on? Why the sudden divorce? And why me to look after Itachi? What happened between you and Mikoto?"

"I've gained some power but lost a lot more, Hachidai-senpai. At the next clan meeting, I plan to challenge Yoichi with my strength to decide who will be the next clan head."

As Fugaku opened his eyes, his Sharingan had transformed, featuring a new pattern not typical of the standard three-tomoe Sharingan.

"Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Hachidai was stunned. How had Fugaku also activated the Mangekyō Sharingan, a technique unseen in decades within the Uchiha clan, and now two appeared in quick succession.

"In every other aspect, I might be slightly inferior to Yoichi, my only recourse is to rely on strength. Hachidai-senpai, if I lose, please take good care of Itachi. I've already told him to listen to you. If it comes to that, you won't need to consider me the clan head anymore."

If even a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder like himself couldn't match Yoichi, Hachidai continuing to oppose Yoichi would only lead to his downfall.

From that confrontation at the guard post, Fugaku recognized Yoichi's ruthless decisiveness. Even among kinsmen, he could distinguish his enemies.

"Fugaku, don't do anything foolish. Living is more important than anything else."

Hachidai spoke gravely, trying to persuade him. "Don't you want to see Itachi grow up? He's only just over two years old!"

"I've made up my mind."

"Even if you've decided, it won't change my decision. Remember, you used to come to me for advice on illusion techniques."

Hachidai patted Fugaku's shoulder, asserting his role, "I am, after all, the captain of the guard!"

————————

"Yuzuki-san, where's Itachi? And why are these things out here?"

Mikoto returned home, her cheeks flushed. Though it wasn't her home anymore, her belongings were supposed to be inside, so why were they outside?

"It seems Fugaku clan head took them out. He left and then came back with them, and took Itachi-sama out somewhere. I'm not sure where they went," Yuzuki recounted.

Mikoto was startled by this news. Fugaku had left? And taken her belongings? Had he gone somewhere?

Could it be to deliver her things...?

Mikoto felt uneasy, remembering that she had been with Yoichi the entire time, even sharing a bath with him after their encounter. She hadn't noticed if Fugaku had come looking for her.

"Mikoto-san?"

"Yuzuki-san, I need to step out for a while. Please take care of the house."

After instructing Yuzuki, Mikoto hurriedly left with her belongings, her heart pounding. She was unsure if Fugaku had visited Yoichi's previous residence. If he had, he might have overheard her and Yoichi... She decided to find Yoichi first and ask him.

Meanwhile, the Cloud Village's envoy, having settled in Konoha, began searching for the whereabouts of Yugito.

Negotiating her return through diplomatic means was only their first strategy, not the only one. If that failed, they had other methods prepared.

"Can you sense Yugito's location?"

"Yes, it appears that Konoha has not detected our tracking seal on Yugito. We have her current location now. She seems to be at the outskirts of the village."

Cloud ninjas often implanted tracking seals on Jinchūriki who hadn't fully mastered their Tailed Beasts' powers. Only those who had complete control could render such tactics ineffective.

"Let's go and retrieve Yugito then. Signal her to come out."

"Understood."

One of the Cloud ninjas took out a squirrel from his pocket and cast a jutsu on it. The squirrel, seemingly enlightened, darted towards the location where Yugito was staying.

After a while, when even the ninja who cast the jutsu began to doubt, Yugito finally appeared.

"Senpai, have you come to take me back?"

"Yes, let's leave now, Yugito!"

As Biba took a step forward to lead her away, Yugito hesitated, "Just like that, Senpai? It won't work; escaping won't be easy."

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Biba reassured her.

"But the person guarding me is Konoha's Raijin. Even if we leave Konoha, getting back to Cloud Village will be impossible."

Yugito's anxiety was evident; she knew the methods Yoichi had used on her. Without the Third Raikage's direct intervention, anyone else's efforts to extract her would be futile.

"Senpai, isn't there another way to get me back?"

"We've exhausted all political avenues. The Third Raikage offered the highest price, but Konoha seems unwilling to return you today. We must consider other options."

Biba then reached for his ninja tools pouch, slowly drawing a kunai. "It seems forceful extraction won't work, so we'll have to use the final method. Yugito, you'll need to cooperate."

"What other way is there? I'll cooperate fully," Yugito replied, her eyes lighting up with hope.

"When a Tailed Beast dies, it reincarnates in an environment suitable for its rebirth, and the Third Raikage has confirmed the site for Matatabi's rebirth. I'm sorry, Yugito."

As he spoke, Biba thrust the kunai towards Yugito's heart—an extreme measure to bring Matatabi back to the Cloud Village. Even if it meant killing Yugito, the Tailed Beast would reincarnate, and the Cloud could capture it anew.

Unprepared for the attack, Yugito could only stare in horror and disbelief.

But in the next moment, she was yanked backwards, pulled away from the lethal strike.

"I told you, once they realize they can't take you back, they'd kill you to recover Matatabi. Trusting these fools gets you nowhere."

As Yoichi spoke, lightning wrapped around him, dodging the kunai before kicking Biba hard in the stomach. Biba was sent flying, crashing down and rolling several times before lying motionless.

The other Cloud ninja, who had manipulated the squirrel, received a similar fate with a kick to the neck, instantly falling unconscious, never to awake again.

"Let's go back. This delayed my actual business."

Yoichi was frustrated. Just moments ago, he had been reminiscing in Mikoto's arms about his childhood, only to be interrupted by a squirrel—an interruption he couldn't ignore without putting on pants and checking it out.

(End of Chapter)